There's nothing better than a warm and hearty pot of chili on a cold and rainy day! Find our favorite Chili with Kidney Beans recipe here! This easy weeknight meal comes together in no time and the whole family will love it! Even better, the leftovers are so versatile and can be used in a number of other dishes from chili boats or Frito pies, to chili cheese dogs, nachos and more! This Chili with Kidney Beans is the perfect cold weather comfort food that is a family favorite in our house.
In the southern United States (well specifically Texas), adding beans to chili is sinful, but we believe there is room in the culinary world for many versions of chili. If you are are southern chili purist, then check out our classic chili recipe for the Best Texas Chili from Scratch as a true Texas chili without beans.
Since Mark is from Texas, southern recipes are some of his favorite recipes to make besides Italian recipes. If you love southern food as much as us, make our other popular recipes for Chicken Fried Steak with Ancho Poblano Gravy or Chicken and Sausage Gumbo!
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Ingredients
We use the following ingredients in this Chili with Kidney Beans recipe:
- Ground beef: We prefer 80/20 ground beef for this recipe, meaning about 80% lean beef to 20% fat.
- Dark red kidney beans: We prefer the dark red kidney beans because they hold their shape a bit better than the lighter varieties adding nice texture to the chili.
- Tomato sauce
- Diced tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes are easy to use for this recipe.
- Onions: Sweet yellow onions are preferred.
- Garlic: Using fresh garlic and mincing it is always best in our opinion.
- Chili powder: Your favorite chili powder is perfect here.
- Black pepper
- Sugar: The small amount of sugar used in this recipe helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Red wine vinegar: The red wine vinegar is a nice addition for flavor.
- Tabasco: The tabasco provides some heat and flavor.
- Italian seasoning: Use your favorite brand of Italian seasoning in this recipe.
- Cumin: Cumin gives the chili a nice nutty and slightly sweet and smoky flavor.
- Sage: Dried sage is best for chili.
- Salt
Don't Skip the garnishes! This chili recipe is delicious without the toppings, but we live for some good chili toppings. Here are a few we recommend:
- Green onions
- Sour cream
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Sliced jalapeño pepper
- Diced red onions
- Cilantro
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutes
The ingredients in this Chili with Kidney Beans recipe are generally very easy to find. But here are a few substitutes:
- Ground Beef: We prefer beef in this recipe, but if you are looking for a lighter option, you can replace the beef with ground turkey or chicken instead.
- Kidney Beans: Light kidney beans can work here as well, or get creative with a different type of bean, such as black beans, pinto beans, navy beans or cannellini beans. You really can't go wrong!
- Diced tomatoes: We use canned diced tomatoes for this recipe to make our lives easier, but fresh diced tomatoes work too.
- Chili Powder: As mentioned above, use your favorite or a homemade version that you love. This is also a great way to modify the spice level. Use a mild version if you prefer less heat.
- Red Wine Vinegar: You can use balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar in place of red wine vinegar.
- Tabasco: Any other hot sauce can be used instead of tabasco. Or if you prefer less heat, omit the tabasco altogether.
- Italian seasoning: If you don't have Italian seasoning, simply use equal parts of dried basil, thyme, rosemary and oregano.
Instructions
As mentioned, this chili is really easy to make and is perfect to enjoy on busy weeknights. Let's break down the steps:
Step 1: Brown the Ground Beef
Start by heating a large skillet over medium high heat and adding about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Next, add the ground beef cook until browned using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the ground beef into smaller chunks.
Step 2: Start the Pot of Chili
While the beef browns, add kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce to a large pot over medium heat. This will be your pot for the rest of the chili cooking process, so make sure it's large enough to hold all of the ingredients. We use a 6-7 qt large Dutch Oven, but any large soup pot will work. Once beef is brown, transfer meat to the pot with the kidney beans and tomatoes. Reserve a small amount of grease in the skillet to sauté the onions.
Step 3: Sauté the Onions and Garlic
Using some of the residual fat in the skillet from the beef, sauté the onions over medium-high heat until translucent, then add the minced garlic for 1-2 minutes before transferring the onions and garlic to your chili pot.
Step 4: Add Remaining Ingredients and Finish Chili
All that is left is to add the remaining ingredients to your pot of chili and bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once it is done cooking, taste for seasoning and add more salt or chili powder if needed. Serve your chili garnished with your favorite toppings and a side of corn bread or garlic toast!
Hint: The chili is even better the next day, so this is a great recipe to make ahead and reheat!
Variations
There are dozens of great ways to change up this recipe. Here are a few that we recommend:
- Make it more or less spicy! This chili recipe is easy to adjust for heat. If you like an extra spicy chili, add a hot chili powder, cayenne pepper, and/or some diced jalapeños or serranos. You can even add a spicier hot sauce or more hot sauce if you prefer! If you like your chili a bit less spicy, use a mild chili powder and reduce or omit the hot sauce.
- Use a leaner meat. We love a good beef chili, but this chili is still delicious with a leaner protein such as ground turkey or chicken.
- Roasted peppers. We will sometimes add a roasted poblano pepper or red bell peppers into the chili to give it some extra flavor.
- Make it vegetarian/vegan. Replace the meat with a plant based alternative - mushrooms, more beans, lentils or another vegetable for a vegan version of this recipe.
Equipment
No special equipment is needed to make this easy chili recipe. A large skillet, we like to use nonstick, and a large soup pot is all the you need!
Storage
This is the perfect recipe to make at the beginning of the week so that you can enjoy the leftovers throughout the week for lunch and dinner!
How to Refrigerate Leftover Chili
To store leftover chili, place leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze leftover chili?
Yes, you can easily freeze leftover chili. Store leftover chili in a freezer safe, airtight container in the freezer for up to 5 months.
How to Reheat Chili
The best way to reheat chili from the fridge is to add leftovers to a pot, cover and heat on low on the stovetop until heated through. For frozen chili, defrost the chili first, then reheat in a covered pot on low on the stovetop until heated through. You can also reheat leftover chili in the microwave at 50% power until heated through.
Top tip
Chili is such a versatile dish that is perfect to use in a variety of other dishes, such as chili cheese burgers or chili cheese dogs, nachos, Frito pies, etc. Make a big pot of chili and you have many options for additional meals throughout the week to use up your leftovers!
What to serve with chili?
We love to eat a big bowl of chili alone with just the toppings. But it is fantastic with some toasted garlic bread or fresh from the oven cornbread.
FAQ
Like any other recipe, quality ingredients play the biggest role in a really good bowl of chili! From the ground beef to the vegetables, chili powder and spices, don't skimp on the quality. Make sure you are buying good ingredients from a reputable source. Additionally, check to make sure your dried spices are still good. Most dried spices begin to lose flavor and aroma after a year. If you have spices in your kitchen from 5 years ago, they will not flavor the dish the way they are meant to. And if possible, use whole spices and grind them fresh as you need them.
No, we do not drain the can of kidney beans in this chili recipe. The liquid from the can of kidney beans is added into the chili and cooked with the other ingredients
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Braised Veal Shanks with Gremolata (Ossobuco Recipe)
- Spicy Italian Sausage Sauce with Cavatelli Pasta
- Bone-In Veal Milanese Recipe (Cotoletta alla Milanese)
- Baked Veal Saltimbocca Meatballs in Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Pairing
These are my favorite appetizers to serve with this Chili with Kidney Beans:
- Zesty Italian Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing
- Oven Roasted Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipe
- Easy Bruschetta with Marinated Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinegar
- Butter Poached Shrimp and Pesto Polenta Bites
📖 Recipe
Chili with Kidney Beans
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
- 1 large soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 cans (32oz total) dark red kidney beans (not drained)
- 1 can (16oz) tomato sauce
- 2 cans (32oz total) diced tomatoes
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon tabasco
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 tablespoon salt
Garnish
- Green onions
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Next, sauté ground beef until browned using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the ground beef into smaller chunks. Depending on the fat content of your ground beef (e.g., 80/20), you may need to add a touch more olive oil if it appears too dry.
- While beef browns, add kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce to a large pot and heat over medium. Once beef is brown, transfer meat to pot with beans and tomatoes. Reserve a small amount of grease in the skillet.
- Return skillet to medium-high heat and add chopped onions to skillet and sauté until translucent, approximately 5-7 min. Then, add minced garlic to the skillet with the onions, stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes, then transfer onions and garlic to pot and stir to combine.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered on low for 45-60 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once done, taste chili and add salt to taste for your preference (up to 1 tsp).
- Garnish with sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese, or whatever else you like, and serve with corn bread or garlic bread!
Nutrition
Enjoy!
We hope you enjoy this Chili with Kidney Beans recipe. If you give it a try leave us a comment below, or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
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Diane says
Our family loved this chili, so flavorful and easy to make!
Angela and Mark says
So happy to hear that you loved it! ❤️
Jason says
This chili is fantastic!! I played around with different chilis to dial up/down the heat and create some rich flavors - so fun! I made a double batch and didn’t have enough kidney beans… so I used some garbanzo beans to complete the recipe and it was still awesome haha!
Angela and Mark says
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! We are so happy that you enjoyed it!